Third sector/Timelines

Timeline for Third Sector

A sequence of significant events in the evolution of the idea of a third sector.

1759: The first edition of Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments is published in Edinburgh, Scotland. 1767: Adam Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society is published in Edinburgh, Scotland. 1776: Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is published in Edinburgh. The American revolution begins. 1822: George W. F. Hege's Elements of the Philosophy of Right, containing his discussion of civil society, is published in German. 1961: •Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America profiles the role of voluntary associations in democratic society. 1961: Amatai Etzioni’s compliance theory of organizations distinguishes coercive, utilitarian and normative compliance. 1972: David Horton Smith and others found the Association of Voluntary Action Scholars (AVAS). 1974: David Horton Smith, Jon Van Til and others found the Journal of Voluntary Action Research (JVAR). 1976: Charles E. Lindblom's Politics and Markets is published, outlining the basic two-sector (private/public) model of political economy. 1977: Burton E. Weisbrod's The voluntary nonprofit sector: an economic analysis is published, laying out the basics of nonprofit economics. 1989: Berlin Wall comes down. Satellite nations of the Soviet empire begin to experiment with civil society and invent national third sectors. AVAS is re-founded as the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). JVAR is re-organized as Nonprofit And Voluntary Sector Quarterly (NVSQ). 1990: Dennis Young and others found Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Kenneth Boulding’s Three Faces of Power identified threat power, associated with the political state; economic power, associated with economic markets; and integrative power, which rests on relationships such as love, legitimacy, respect, affection, community and identity. 1991: European, British and American scholars found the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR). This same group also founded the international journal, with Helmut Anheier and Martin Knapp, Editors. Voluntas 2001: Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American community is published in the U.S. Responsible for renewed focus on social capital.